The Ryan O’Reilly trade stole the headlines in St. Louis as the Blues successfully acquired an outstanding two-way player while also shipping out a couple of their more bloated contracts. That news took away from the Tyler Bozak signing, which looks like an even better acquisition following the O’Reilly move.
When discussing his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs and his move to St. Louis with the Players Tribune, Bozak had some great quotes worth highlighting.
Why did Bozak come to St. Louis? To avoid Vladimir Tarasenko, of course.
“The very first call I got this off-season was from Doug Armstrong, the St. Louis Blues GM.
He told me about the city, the team and his plan. I spoke with some other teams and there were a few good offers, but St. Louis was a perfect fit.
Mostly because I don’t want to block another Vladimir Tarasenko shot ever again.”
Maybe Blues fans need to thank Tarasenko for recruiting Bozak.
In all seriousness, Bozak says he chose the Blues for one reason – the Stanley Cup. Yes, that statement is loaded in irony given the Blues’ inability to win the Cup for their entire existence, but we’ll ignore that fact since Bozak’s comments were so good.
“I know how good the Blues are. They’ve been so hard to play against for years. They’ve got great talent, and even though I was fortunate enough to accomplish some great things in Toronto, I never got the one thing I’ve always really wanted.
The Stanley Cup.
I want to win a Cup. So damn bad.
That’s why I signed in St. Louis. There’s your headline. Print it.”
Bozak is saying all of the right things. Better yet, he sounds completely genuine. How many times have fans heard of players passing over St. Louis when selecting teams? It happened several times this summer, but the Blues landed two players – Bozak and David Perron – who made it publicly known that they want to play here.
Hopefully Blues fans give them the welcome they deserve.
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